The Betrothal
by Jane Colfer
Summary: Betrothed to Nuada before birth... promised to Pan at birth... Moanna is trapped beteen two fiance's... who will she choose? NuadaxMoannaxPan NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED! I ONLY OWN MY IMAGINATION!


Ok, I've wanted to do this story for ages but I just never seem to have got around to it. Basically, Nuada and Moanna were betrothed but when Nuada went into exile, Moanna's parents promised her to Pan, without officially breaking of the previous betrothal. Now, Nuada has come to claim his wife. Who will Moanna choose? How will Pan react when his princess is taken from him? And is Nuada doing this only to get Moanna's power… or will he really fall in love with her?

I own nothing except my imagination. All copyright goes to the creators of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Pan's Labyrinth (Well, they were both directed by the same person so that's easy isn't it?).

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The Betrothal

Chapter One

Moanna smiled sweetly at the young gentleman as he bowed to her.

"It is an honour to finally meet you, princess." He said courteously.

"The pleasure is all mine." She replied. She waited until he had moved out of earshot before turning to Pan. "How much longer must I endure this?" He laughed.

"This is a mere formality, your highness. You are of age and should be considering a husband." The faun explained, bowing slightly.

"But they're all so… boring!" She groaned. "Do I really need to marry?"

"Again, your highness, it is a formality. A husband is there merely for the task of securing an heir." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Remember 'The Blossoming of the Dryad'?"

"Oh, right." She frowned. "Surely a husband means more than that. I thought you married your true love?" He smiled lovingly at her.

"Of course you do it's just… true love is much more difficult to find when you are royalty. For those of royal blood, marriage is little more than politics. You do not realize how lucky your parents were to find each other." She sighed.

"Can't I just marry you instead?" She asked then laughed to show she was joking.

Pan also laughed, but he didn't mean it. He placed his arm around the princess' shoulder as they laughed together. He turned to look at her parents, the king and queen. They were watching. He gave them a meaningful glare. They got the message. This gathering was not just a formality… it was a false alarm.

Of course, Moanna deserved the chance to meet other men, if only to see what idiots they were. The princess was so innocent and naïve. She had no idea that her marriage had already been arranged. She had no idea of what the mark on her shoulder truly meant.

She had no idea that what she considered a joke… was her future.

Long after the celebrations had ended, the king found his wife in the great hall.

"My dear? Are you all right? Is it the baby?" She looked at him.

"No, I'm fine it's just…" She sighed.

She had not long bid her daughter goodnight. Her beautiful and kind daughter, the princess Moanna. After losing her for so long, the queen did not want to lose her again but already she could feel her child being snatched away. Even with this new child, Moanna was her first child and the heir to the throne. She felt a deep connection to her daughter that she didn't want to lose. And yet she had signed her daughter away before she was even born.

The faun's eyes swam into vision…

"Darling?" She turned to her husband.

"Rey? Do you think we were right to promise Moanna to Pan?" She asked suddenly. He looked slightly taken aback at her question.

"Carmen. I know you don't want to give her up but Pan has been loyal to us since her birth. He has protected her with his life… hell, he brought her back to us in the first place!" He exclaimed, trying to make Carmen understand. "Besides… she couldn't go through with her first betrothal could she?" Carmen looked at him.

"No, that's true." They stood in silence. "I wonder how Bethmora fairs these days…"

Nuala sat before the crumbling form of her father's dead body.

How had it come to this? That her father would be slain by her own brother. It was beyond a nightmare.

She ran the events of the reunion through her head. All these years with him in exile and as soon as he returns… Nuada slays everyone in sight. She told herself that it was only the bond between them that kept her alive… but she couldn't help but hope that deep down, Nuada still loved her.

Blinking back tears, Nuala gently reached out to stroke the stone cheek of her father.

"I'm so sorry father, I wish you could have lived." She whispered, her words choked by the lump in her throat.

Ok, that was the first chapter. Please review but don't be mean.

By the way, I am creating a competition on youtube for the best Moanna pairing or love-triangle based on this story. The winner of that competition will decide the outcome of this fanfiction. Look for 'Moanna's new divide' if you are a youtuber or even if you just like watching videos.


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